jung

I think Cora wants Brasier to be that guy or one of them. He is certainly testing him. Pom is already a fail and I continue to believe Hembree has no post season role. Kelly probably does not have one either unless we need somebody to try to plunk somebody.

Mookies last HR was Aug 9th and he has had 4 since Jul 24th

I just don't want any part of Encarnacion v BJ

So that is what I meant early in the thread about Carassco being more to our liking regardless of how good he is as a pitcher. JD was not going see that sequence from either Kluber nor that kid Bebe as it turns out though I did not really know much about him before seeing him.

Yup...Tito posted his lineup later than Cora did. So I kept looking for it. When I saw that name I said...Oh great this is just perfect. Just in time for BJ. Its like Tito knows us so darned well or at least has arranged the stars to screw with us.

That was just such a terrific pitch to Encarnacion....just really excellent

While this might sound absurd, we have a better shot at Carrasco than we have had the last two nights. His sequencing will be more to our liking even if he is "on". Hopefully this game goes our way at least at the plate. Whether BJ can control their lineup could be another story. But I think we will do better against Carrasco than we have the last two games. Then again, that would not be that much of a prediction given the other two results are already in the books.

That is absolutely correct. The point is, this team lives off its complete rotation. It certainly does not live off its pen. Calling this pen modest is a compliment as it relates to the kinds of teams we will face in the post season. I am not interested in gaudy records established against this junk MLB in the regular season. If we get Sale back AND sound physically, our chances go up substantially. If we get E-rod back as well our chances improve again. The games we lose in the post season will likely look a good deal like these last two games against Cleveland and the bullpen game against the Rays. Our RH hitters seeing tons of sliders low to the outer black or off the plate and two seams breaking in on the hands. FB's thrown off the plate for show, not for strikes. Our left handers will see cutters and changes. Chances are when we do lose a post season game that is what it will look like. When we win games they will be games where our starter controls the other team's offense for at least the 1st 6 innings....2 runs over 6 innings should do and where our offense, running game and overall defense carries us to the finish line. Can we lose four of seven games like we lost the last three?...Absolutely, especially if Sale or Price or Porcello are not sound. Can we win four of seven the way we usually win? Absolutely, especially if Sale and Price and Porcello are sound and especially if E-rod comes back.

What I worry about for the post season is the following: - will our rotation be back intact. The rotation protects what is a weak pen. We can keep making excuses for it and sticking our head in the sand but that will be all we are doing - the way we are being pitched foreshadows how we will be pitching in the post season where we will see pitchers that are at least a notch or two better than the sludge we usually find day in and day out. It is not a particularly encouraging aspect of what lies ahead. However, the Red Sox are without question one of the four or five best teams in baseball. But, anybody that thinks we are are going to walk over those other teams that will make it to the post season are dreaming. We might walk over a division round depending on who we face. But the ALCS will without question be a war if we get there.

As if we didn't already know you are not one of US, that about rips it now doesn't it!

Yea but Beni's swing gets so big that his hands are no longer inside the baseball. Ted never on his worse day had his hands outside the baseball.

Us....US...you earn that here son

They better start throwing our RH hitters low and away sliders in BP about 1,000 times a day and remind Beni his swing is getting big again

OB stunned...Eck speechless

As I have often said, beni's swing gets too big sometimes. His swing is a little too big normally...and then it gets absurd from there.

Geez pom...its like the Guardians were going to do it for me.

That pitch should have been over the monster

If Pom gives up a bomb here, I do not want to see him EVER again.

We don't have a set up man and you almost need two closers the way the game is played today. One to set up and close on occasion and one to close. Do we have that?

Is there an ignore feature here. If there were you would already be there. You need to see enough of JBJ to comment on JBJ.

That would have been the move. It would have been a thing of beauty.

We need our rotation back and healthy. Rotation has saved this pen from being exposed most of the season. But we need them back and sound for that to continue. Need Sale, need Erod. Not going to get Pom and the way he is pitching, it doesn't matter.

That is worrisome for Thorny. Can't put a pitch in a much better location. But there was something obvious about where that pitch was going for a hitter to go down and get it like that. RH hitter no less.

Finally got Beiber out of there.

Bieber has gotten that pitch all night